This blog piece, written and published by PwC, highlights how their evaluation demonstrated the impact of our Peer to the Future project which supported prison leavers in Leeds. Differentiating Peer Advisor Programme across England and Wales is core to this return on investment value.

NEW analysis from PwC says the St Giles Trust’s (SGT) Peer to the Future (PttF) offender scheme delivers a massive £8.54 return in social and economic terms, for every £1 invested.

St Giles Trust works with ex-offenders and disadvantaged people at risk of becoming involved in the criminal justice system, and supported over 18,000 people during the last financial year (April 2015 - March 2016).

With reoffending estimated to cost the UK economy between £9.5-13 billion each year1, SGT recognised the positive impact its peer programme was having on the ground in breaking the re-offending cycle. But without hard financial data, the London-based charity was finding it increasingly hard to articulate this in monetary terms to its stakeholders and investors.

Operating across England and Wales, the programme’s ability to rehabilitate prison leavers can be linked to its peer advisor team, all of whom are uniquely placed to support offenders as they integrate back into society having previously ‘been in their shoes’. Not only are they able to relate to the challenges being faced and quickly build trust, as a result of formal training they are also equipped to help prison leavers’ obtain housing and benefits, access training and career opportunities and, if needed, gain access to specialist addiction or mental health support.

Procurement and investor stakeholders were unsure if this approach offered best value for money - up-front training costs are high and it isn’t the cheapest option available - however, PwC’s Total Impact Measurement and Management (TIMM) tool was able to demonstrate a significant return on investment.